Tag Archives: Nordic

Jun9

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jónasson

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Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for a copy of this book for review.

I’m starting this off with the thing that bothered me a lot about this book. I hate and despise cliffhangers. Hate, hate, hate them. And this book ends on one. The major story line was resolved, but the subplot was not.

In spite of my dislike for the cliffhanger, I enjoyed the book. I’m a huge fan of Nordic stories. And ones set in Iceland are some of my favorites. The protagonist, young detective Helgi, was someone the reader can root for. He was a policeman who had some secrets he didn’t want anyone to know about which added an interesting component to his personality. An unexpected dimension to how he interacted with the world.

The story centers on a writer of mystery novels, Elin S. Jonsdottir, who lives alone and has never been married. She has a group of friends who have been in her life long term and they are creatures of habit. Lunching together on certain days of the week and at the same places. She also likes to hike and spend time in the outdoors. She has form for going off on her own and not telling anyone as she is independent.

When she fails to show up for one of the scheduled lunches, one of the friends reports her missing and the investigation ensues. The investigation is on the down low as the friends as well as the police want to keep the media at bay as Elin is a very popular Icelandic writer.

Our detective protagonist is a huge fan of golden age mysteries of the 1930s. He’s excited about the case as he believes he could earn a promotion if he brings her home safely.

The story is full of nuances and a few twists. I saw one coming but I liked how the author got us there. The policeman’s personal life is also interesting with some twists there as well.

The format of the book is unique as well. It skips time periods back and forth and also has a number of scenes that are the crime writer being interviewed. These are the only times we get to learn about her personality as the book progresses. The piecemeal learning about her was enjoyable. This reader enjoys books with different time jumps. It keeps things interesting.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and if I don’t read the next one, I’ll make up my own ending to the cliffhanger. lol

BLURB:

The next thrilling golden-age-style mystery from #1 Icelandic bestseller Ragnar Jónasson, author of Death at the Sanatorium and Reykjavík.

One winter evening, bestselling crime author Elín S. Jónsdóttir goes missing.

There are no clues to her disappearance and it is up to young detective Helgi to crack the case before its leaked to the press.

As Helgi interviews the people closest to her—a publisher, an accountant, a retired judge—he realizes that Elín’s life wasn’t what it seemed. In fact, her past is even stranger than the fiction she wrote.

As the case of the missing crime writer becomes more mysterious by the hour, Helgi must uncover the secrets of the writer’s very unexpected life.

Feb4

Reykjavik: A Crime Story by Ragnar Jonasson and Katrin Jakobsdottir

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The story starts with a 14 year old missing girl in 1956 in Iceland.  She was working for a couple on a small, uninhabited island off the coast of Reykjavik. When she fails to check in with her weekly call to her parents, a police detective is called out to investigate what may have happened to her. Unfortunately, the case goes cold and many years pass.

Every ten years or so, articles are in the paper about the girl who disappeared. And questions asked about where she could be. Is she dead or did she run away?

The book then flashes forward to thirty years later to a young journalist who is determined to solve the mystery. His poking into the situation happens to coincide with the two-hundredth anniversary of the city of Reykjavik.

As the young man investigates, someone starts sending him messages that lead him to believe he might be able to solve the mystery once and for all. He hopes his career will be cemented as a serious journalist if he can do so.

Excitement ramps up for the reader as well as the journalist at this point.

I love these type mysteries—set in Scandinavian or Nordic places. I like to watch the ones on streaming services as well. It seems the way Nordic and Scandinavian writers craft their tales have an appeal that speaks to me. I’m always quick to grab these off the shelf in the bookstore. Their mysteries pull me in. And the descriptions of their harsh winter climates are very evocative and lend themselves to a greater sense of urgency and mystique. This one was no exception.

Well written with a great plot by a team that includes a bestselling Icelandic author and the prime minister of Iceland, I recommend this one for a cold winter’s day of reading and mystery.

BLURB:

What happened to Lára?

Iceland, 1956. Fourteen-year-old Lára decides to spend the summer working for a couple on the small island of Videy, just off the coast of Reykjavík. In early August, the girl disappears without a trace. Time passes, and the mystery becomes Iceland‘s most infamous unsolved case. What happened to the young girl? Is she still alive? Did she leave the island, or did something happen to her there?

Thirty years later, as the city of Reykjavík celebrates its 200th anniversary, journalist Valur Robertsson begins his own investigation into Lára’s case. But as he draws closer to discovering the secret, and with the eyes of Reykjavík upon him, it soon becomes clear that Lára’s disappearance is a mystery that someone will stop at nothing to keep unsolved . . .